A Dietary Pattern with High Sugar Content Is Associated with Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in the Pomak Population

Abstract

The present study describes the geographically isolated Pomak population and its particular dietary patterns in relationship to cardiovascular risk factors. We collected a population-based cohort in a cross-sectional study, with detailed anthropometric, biochemical, clinical, and lifestyle parameter information. Dietary patterns were derived through principal component analysis based on a validated food-frequency questionnaire, administered to 1702 adult inhabitants of the Pomak villages on the Rhodope mountain range in Greece. A total of 69.9% of the participants were female with a population mean age of 44.9 years; 67% of the population were overweight or obese with a significantly different prevalence for obesity between men and women (17.5% vs. 37.5%, respectively, p < 0.001).Smoking was more prevalent in men (45.8% vs. 2.2%, p < 0.001), as 97.3% of women had never smoked. Four dietary patterns emerged as characteristic of the population, and were termed "high in sugars", "quick choices", "balanced", and "homemade". Higher adherence to the "high in sugars" dietary pattern was associated with increased glucose levels (p < 0.001) and increased risk of hypertension (OR (95% CI) 2. 61 (1.55, 4.39), p < 0.001) and nominally associated with high blood glucose levels (OR (95% CI) 1.85 (1.11, 3.08), p = 0.018), compared to lower adherence. Overall, we characterize the dietary patterns of the Pomak population and describe associations with cardiovascular risk factors.

Assessment of Oral Health Behavior, Knowledge and Practice among Medical and Dental Undergraduates of Peshawar Medical and Dental College

“…In terms of eating patterns, 44.7% of participants in our survey reported that they consumed sweets two to four times a day, indicating a worryingly high prevalence of sugar consumption. This result is in line with a study conducted in 2019 by Farmaki et al 19 which similarly found that young individuals often consume sugary meals. Finally, compared to studies by Hoeppner et al 20 and Eticha 21 , which found greater rates of smoking among college students, our study's results showed that 8.1% of participants reported smoking 20,21 .…”

The iMPROVE Study; Design, Dietary Patterns, and Development of a Lifestyle Index in Overweight and Obese Greek Adults

“…Additionally, a different cross-sectional study of our group identified similar associations between dietary patterns and biochemical biomarkers in the adults of the POMAK population. More specifically, the dietary pattern including increased consumption of products high in sugars was related to low levels of HDL cholesterol [27]. Similar trends were also noted when investigating the dietary patterns of adolescent populations, where a dietary pattern with high protein and animal fat content was associated with elevated levels of logBMI and logTriglycerides, in French teenagers [28].…”

Gene-based whole genome sequencing meta-analysis of 250 circulating proteins in three isolated European populations

“…The study includes biological sample collection for DNA extraction and lab-based blood measurements, and interview-based questionnaire filling. The phenotypes collected include anthropometric and biometric measurements, clinical evaluation data, biochemical and hematological profiles, self-reported medical history, demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle information [ 11 , [13] , [14] , [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] ] [ 19 , 20 ]. The study was approved by the Harokopio University Bioethics Committee and informed consent was obtained from every participant.…”